Tag-marking machine.



G. W. HENRY, JR.

TAG MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED sEP-T. 14. 1915.

4 SHEETSSHEET l.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

G. W. HENRY, JR.

TAG MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14. 1915.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. W. HENRY, JR.

TAG MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14. 19:5.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

LQU3JA3.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

. number and UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. HENRY, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOP. TO H. G.DAVIS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TAG-MARKING MACHINE.

Jr, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, have mvented certain Improvements in Tag-Marking Machines,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in machines for printingtags and other tickets used particularly in labeling merchandise forsale, but it will be understood that the invention can be used forprinting tickets to be usedfor other purposes wlthout departing from theessential eatures of the invention.

One object of the invention is to construct a machine which will printthe style, size,

price, if necessary, on merchandisetags.

A further object of the invention is to provide means on which the tagsof diflerent sizes can bemarked without changing the form.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine whichwill automatically feed the carrier,- to which the tag is secured, intothe printing position, so that the printing plunger will make theimpression, and to provide means for automatically discharging theprinted tag.

Another object of the invention is to provide suitable means forlocln'ng the tag carrier in a fixed position during the printingoperation.

These objects and other advantageous end 1 attain in the followingmanner, reference bein in w ich:

Figure 1, is a erspective view of my improved tag mar 'ng machine; Fig.2, is a front elevation of sufficient of the machine to illustrate myinvention; Fig. 3, is a transverse sectional view on the line za, Fig.2; Fig. 4, is a sectional view on the line bb, Fig. 2, showing thelocln'ng mechanism; Fig. 5, is a sectional view on the line cc, Fig. 4,illustrating the locking mechanism; Fi 6, is a side view of one of theratchet w eels; Fig. 7, is a detached face view of the cam; Fig. 8, is asectional view on the line (l -d, Fig. 3, showing the rear of the camand the eccentric; Fig. 9, is a perspective view of the tag clamp; Figs.10 and 11, are detached views of the trays, showing SpecificationotLettcrs Patent.

had to the accompanying drawings,

aten ted Oct. e1, 1916.

Application flled September 14, 1915. Serial No. 50,650.

the clamp in its two positions; Fig. 12, is a detached perspective viewof the t pe carrylng block; Fig. -13, is a perspective view of one ofthe type; Fig. 14, is a perspective view of a tag printed by themachine; and F1g. 15, is a v1ew of a modification of the tag carrier.

It is the general practice at the presentv carelessly and indistinctlymarked. By the use of the machine which I will now proceed to describetags for the several lots of goods of the same style, size and price areaccurately and quickly marked and, by simply changing, the characters onthe type form other sets of tags can be marked, thus saving considerabletime and annoyance in department and other stores carrying similar lotsof goods. 7

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the base of the machine and projectingfrom one side of this base is a fixed table 2, over which travels anendless chain 3; the links of the chain being shaped to form trays d onwhich the tags to be marked are located.

7 This chain can be of any length desired and Fig. 1. The sprocket wheel5 is the driven wheel and the sprocket wheel 6 is an idler mounted on astud secured to a bracket on the base 1 of; the machine. The drivingsprocket wheel 5 is mounted on a shaft 10 and hasan intermittent rotarymotion, and means are rovided for locking the sprocket wheel whi e thechain is at rest so as to insure the proper marking of the tag by theprinting mechanism.

11 is the driving shaft on which is a worm 12 which meshes with a wormwheel 13 on a transverse shaft 14 mounted in bearings 15 on the framelfisecured to the base 1 of the machine. This shaft is also mounted inbearings 17 on a bracket 18 secured to the machine and on this bracketis a casing 19 which incloses the worm wheel 13 and worm 12. In thepresent instance the machine is driven by an electric motor 20, alsosecured to the base, 1 and the armature shaft of this motor is connectedto the worm shaft 11 by a coupling 21. On the forward end of the shaft14 is a cam 22 having an eccentric hub 23. This eccentric hub actuatesthe feeding n mechanism for the endless chain carrier for the tags,while the cam actuates the printing plunger.

Pivoted at 24 to the frame 15 is an arm 25 having rollers 26 which comein contact with the cam 23 so that, as the cam rotates, a reciprocatingmotion will be given to a rod 27 connected to the arm at 28. This rod 27is connected to an arm 29 pivoted to the shaft 10 and on this arm aretwo pawls 30 and 31. The pawl 30 engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel 32on the shaft 10, while the pawl 31 engages the teeth of a ratchet camwheel 33, loose on the shaft 10. The pawl 30 moves the ratchet wheel 32,its shaft 10 and the sprocket wheel 5 a given distance at each,reciprocation of the rod 27.

On the ratchet cam wheel 33 are cam lugs 34 which act upon a roller 35on a sliding bolt 36. Surrounding this bolt is a spring 37 bearingagainst the head 38 of the bolt. This head is arranged to slide in thebearing 39 secured to a portion of the base 1 and is adapted to enterone of the holes 40 in the sprocket wheel 5 so as to lock thesprocket-wheel in the position to which it is turned by the intermittentmovement of the other elements of the machine, in order to insure themarking of the label at the proper oint.

The bolt 36 is held from turning by a pin 41 which is adapted to a slotin the plate 42 secured to the bearing 39, Fig. 4. The cam 22 has a slot43 shaped as shown in Fig. 7, and a roller 44 mounted on a stud 45carried by the plunger 46 extends into this lot, so that the movement ofthe plunger is controlled by the cam. The plunger is adapted to avertical bearing 47 on a bracket 48 secured to the frame 16, and mountedin the plunger 46 is the cylindrical shank 49 of the type carrying head50. Between the end of this shank and the base of the opening in theplunger 46 is a cushion 51, preferably of rubber.

52 is a stop pin on the shank adapted to a slot 53 in the plunger 46 soas to limit the vertical movement of the printing head, yet allowing itto yield in order to accommodate itself to tags of differentthicknesses.

The head 50 has undercut flanges 54 at each side to receive the undercutportions 56 of the type carrying block 55. This type carrying block iscomposed of a series of bars 57 spaced apart to receive the type 58. Oneside of each bar is notched, as at59, and the other side of each bar iscut to form a shoulder 60 on which the shoulder 61 of the type rests, sothat when the type is inserted from above it will be held in theprojected position, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and locked in thisposition when the type carrying block is mounted in the head 50. A;turn-buckle 62 on the head locks the type carrying block and holds it inthe proper position.

63 is the carrier for the ink pad 64 and this carrier slides in ways onarms 65 projecting from the frame 16 and is actuated by an arm 66pivoted at 67 to the bracket 18. The lower end .of the arm is roundedand works in a slot 68 in the slide 63 and has a pin 69 which enters thegroove in the cam 7 0, which is mounted on-the shaft 14 so that, as theshaft is rotated, the inking pad carrier is projected under the type oris retracted clear of the type.

The cam 22, as] illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7, has a dwell, shaped sothat when the roller 44 is at the point :r the type carrying head isprojected to such an extent that the type will print the tag and whenthe roller 44 is at the point an of the cam it is brou ht downward atthe same time that the inking pad 64 is projected so as to ink the type,and when the roller is at the points y, y the type head is held in theraised position while the endless carrying chain is moving to shift ablank tag to the printing position, so that the plunger has first ashort movement to allow the type to be inked and then an extendedmovement to allow the inked type to make an impression on a tag.

In order to hold the tags on the trays 4, I provide pivoted clamps 71,as clearly shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11. A clamp is pivoted at one cornerand at the back of each tray and has a clamping member 72 and anextension 7 3, which comes in contact with the shifting plates 74 and 75on the base 1. The shlfting plate 74 forces the clamping member downupon a tag prior to its entering the space directly under the printingblocks and the shifting plate 75 raises the clamping member so that eachtag, after it is printed, drops clear of the machine. A spring 76 isconnected to a pin on the clamp and to a pin on the tray in such amanner that it will hold the clamp in either of its two positions, asclearly illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11.

Each tray has arear flange 77 and a side flange 78 and the clamp 71 islocated at the junction of its two flanges, so that the tray willaccommodate a large tag the width of the tray or a tag smaller than thewidth of the tray.

The operation of the machine is as follows :The mechanism is driven inthe present instance by an electric motor, but it will be understoodthat any suitable motive power may be employed without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. The operator feeds the tags onto one of thetrays in advance of the printing plunger the plate 74 the clamp isshifted so as to hold given an extended movement and makes an impressionon the tag. The movement of the endless chain carrying the trays isintermittent and the trays remain stationary while the type makes animpression and, to insure the retention of the tray in a fixed position,the bolt 36 is projected and enters one of the openings 40 in thesprocket wheel 5, holding the sprocket wheel until an impression ismade. As soon as the bolt is retraoted the ratchet mechanism moves thechain the distance of one tray to place another tag in position to beprinted. The tag previously printed is released by the clamp strikingthe plate 75, after which the tag falls clear of the machine. Anysuitable receptacle may be provided for receiving the printed tags.

Fig. 15 illustrates a modification of the invention, in which a manysided wheel 3" having trays 4 is substituted for the endless chain oftrays; this wheel is provided with the clamps 71 which hold the tags inposition while being printed.

I claim 1. The combination in a tag marking machine, of an endlessseries of trays; means for intermittently moving the trays; means formarking a tag while on a tray; a clamp on each tray for holding a tag inthe proper position to be marked; means for actuating the clamp so'thatit will hold a tag prior to and during the marking operation; and meansfor releasing the clamp after a tag has been printed.

2. The combination in a tag marking machine, of a table; an endlesschain of trays arranged to travel intermittently over the table; meansfor locking the trays while at rest; a printing head; a type blockcarried by the head; a cam for reciprocating the head; a horizontalintermittently movable ink pad carrier; a pad thereon arranged to beprojected between the type-carrying block and the trays, the cam forreciprocating the head being so cut that it will .first project theplunger to ink the type while the ink pad carrier is projected and thenretracted and again projected a greater distance after the ink padearner 1s wlthdrawn so as to make an impression on the tag carried bythe tray.

3. The combination in a tag marking machine, of a frame; a driving shaftthereon; a worm on the driving shaft; a worm wheel; a transverse shaftcarrying the worm wheel; a cam on said shaft having an eccentricon itshub; a type carrying plunger actuated by the cam; an arm having rollerswith which the eccentric hub engages; a rod connected to the arm; twosprocket wheels, one of said sprocket wheels being mounted on a shaft;an arm loose on the shaft and carrying two sets of pawls; a ratchetwheel secured to the shaft and arranged to turn the sprocket wheel agiven distance; a ratchet cam wheel loose on the shaft and engaged bythe other pawl and having cams at one side; a bolt actuated by saidcams, said sprocket wheel having holes into which the bolt is free toenter when the sprocket wheel is at rest; and an endless chain of traysmounted on the two sprocket wheels and arranged to carry the tags to beprinted by the printing mechanism.

4. The combination inintermittent mechanism for feeding trays past aprinting mechanism, of a sprocket wheel having a series of holes; a boltarranged to be projected into any one of the holes; a ratchet wheel forturning the sprocket wheel; a ratchet cam wheel having cams foractuating the bolt; an arm; and two pawls on the arm engaging theratchet wheels, one engaging the ratchet wheel which turns the sprocketwheel and the other engaging the ratchet cam wheel.

5. The combination in a tag marking machine, of a1. endless series oftrays; means for intermittently feeding the trays; a typecarryingplunger arranged to make an 1mpression on the tags carried by the trays;a pivoted clamp at the back of each tray; means for shifting the clampso that it will hold the tag in advance of the marking operation; andmeans for shifting the clamp to release the tag after the markingoperation.

6. The combination in a tag marldng machine, of an endless series oftrays, each tray having a flange at one side and at the back; a pivotedclamp at the back of the tray for holding one corner of the tag; aspring attached to each clamp and to each tray, said spring being solocated that it will hold the clamp in either of its two positions;means, in advance of the marking mechanism, for shifting the clamp tosecure each tag to its tray; and means for shifting the clamp to releasethe tag after an impression has been made.

GEORGE W. HENRY, JR.

